Ranbaxy sues Actavis to stop acne generic sale

India’s drug major Ranbaxy Laboratories has filed a legal suit against Dublin based generic drugmaker Actavis in a US court for trying to launch a generic version of its acne medicine

The suit seeks to prevent Actavis from commercialising its ANDA product prior to the expiration of its US patent

Singapore: Dublin headquartered generic drugmaker Actavis has now been caught in a legal tangle after Indian drug major Ranbaxy Laboratories filed a legal case against the company.

Ranbaxy claimed that Actavis attempted to launch a generic version of its acne medicine, Absorica in the US market.

Ranbaxy's top executives had said earlier in November that the drug, Absorica commands 19 percent market share in the US. The same drug had helped the Indian company shore up its sales in the US market in the September quarter too.

As per data from IMS Health, Absorica had total US sales of $97 million in the 12 months to September 2013.

Actavis said in a statement released in Dublin on November 1 that Ranbaxy, along with innovator firms Cipher Pharma and Galephar Pharma Research, filed a suit on October 29 in the district court of New Jersey.